Estimating Accuracy & Costly Mistakes
Your estimator counted every board, every brick and every hour on that job. Then the contract was signed, the job moved into construction, and people started asking questions… “What’s included in this category?” “Which supplier was this based on?” “Is there enough in the budget to cover what we actually need?” Before long, your project […]
Sloping sites… just part of the job, right? In construction on sloped site projects, some look manageable at first glance. But others? You’re already thinking retaining walls, stepped slabs, and hours of level-stepping before you’ve even thought about pricing. Either way, the moment a block isn’t flat, you’re less sure the numbers will hold once […]
Everything looks fine… right up until someone on site says: “Hang on… this isn’t going to work.” By that point, the slab is poured, trades are booked, and fixing it means delays, rework, and money. These kinds of mistakes in custom home design rarely start on site — they usually begin much earlier, hidden […]
Most builders don’t lose control of a budget because they’re careless. In fact, the opposite is usually true. And yet, somewhere along the way, the budget blind spots start to be clearer. If you’ve ever looked back at a finished job and thought, “I still don’t know exactly where that margin went,” you’re not alone. […]
Estimating controls the cost of a job. Estimating controls your quote. And, at the end of the day, it also controls how much money you make. Because it’s so important, you have to do it yourself and it can’t be outsourced,… right? Not at all. When you actually stop and think about it, that sort […]
One of the hardest parts of estimating is working with what we’re given: 2D plans, engineering specs, interior design documents, PDF drawings – all flat, disconnected, and often missing key pieces. That’s just how the industry’s always done it. But we don’t build in 2D. We build in 3D. On site, everything is physical and […]
Imagine this for a second. You’re pricing an $800,000.00 custom build without a Price Book. You’ve got 350 line items to cost out, from reinforcing steel to roofing nails. But every single number you need is scattered: Some in an old spreadsheet Some in a supplier quote from three months ago Some in your inbox […]
Building a custom home is a massive investment for your clients — both financially and emotionally. And as a builder, you know better than anyone: if something goes wrong or doesn’t meet your client’s expectations, it’s your reputation on the line. The reality is that construction errors will always cost you. At best, you’ll lose […]
As a custom home builder, you know accurate estimating is the foundation that sets the tone for your projects, ensuring you have the right margins to stay profitable and keep your clients happy. But let’s face it—estimating isn’t easy. And for many builders, it’s not where their time is best spent. So let’s dissect this: […]
Trusting square metre rates is like building your house on sand; it might seem solid at first glance, but the foundation is weak. In an industry where margins can be thin, not understanding the true cost of services and materials creates inaccuracies which can lead to: Project Delays Damage to Your Reputation Disastrous Financial Consequences […]
Watch a recent episode of APB’s Professional Builders Secrets with V2E’s own Tom Lawson, discussing the importance of accurate estimating, how V2E generates accurate residential building estimates using unique 3D technology, what estimating options builders have, whether estimating is something you should keep in-house and the pitfalls of getting your estimates wrong. If you’d like […]
With inflation rising across the board, the construction industry is not immune. The South Australian construction industry saw the highest inflation in the country last year. Finding ways to save on major and incidental costs is a must for every builder, but it is not always easy to see where those savings can come from. Simple actions […]